DREF final report : Food Insecurity

DREF operation n° MDRML008 26 February, 2013

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) is a source of un-earmarked money created by the Federation in 1985 to ensure that immediate financial support is available for Red Cross Red Crescent response to emergencies. The DREF is a vital part of the International Federation’s disaster response system and increases the ability of National Societies to respond to disasters.

Summary: CHF 174,092 was allocated from the IFRC’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) on 12 January 2012 to support the Mali Red Cross (CRM) in delivering assistance to 8,200 beneficiaries.

In late 2011, assessments and early warning systems alerted that a food crisis would hit the country during 2012, primarily due to the poor harvest and drought situation. Reports indicated that up to 1.8 million persons in the regions of , Koulikoro, Gao, Kidal, Mopti and Segou would have difficulties to provide food for themselves. The government launched an international appeal for assistance to address the situation of food insecurity in the country. A deteriorating security situation due to clashes between the government and rebels in the northern part of the country contributed to worsen the situation and displaced thousands of people.

This DREF operation enabled the Malian Red Cross (CRM) to respond to the emergency needs of 1,640 vulnerable households due the food crisis situation in the country. 1,640 families (10,640 persons) in the were provided with food relief and education in food hygiene practices to reduce their vulnerability and risks for diseases. At the end of the operation, 78 percent of vulnerable households in the Kayes region were provided with food relief.

This operation provided emergency food relief response and reduced vulnerability among the targeted families. With the continued needs identified in the target area, a Food Insecurity Emergency Appeal was prepared and launched by IFRC in June 2012 and is currently ongoing in the same areas covered by the DREF operation.

In the financial report, some expenses relating to the Regional Disaster Response Team (RDRT) deployment were erroneously booked in the wrong budget lines (utensils and tools, consultant, medical and first aid) which explains the variances in these budget lines. The RDRT mission was also extended to cover the operation timeframe, which was longer than planned and budgeted resulting in higher costs in the final financial report. A financial monitoring mission that was not budgeted for was undertaken at the end of the operation by the regional finance officer to assist the National Society in finalizing the financial reports, thus the variance in the budget and expenditure.Additionally,no storage expenses were incurred due to the fact that relief items were distributed immediately after purchase.A total of CHF 1,484 that was unspent at the close of the operation will be returned to DREF.

The Netherlands Red Cross /Government and the Belgian Red Cross /Government contributed towards the DREF replenishment of the allocation made for this operation. The major donors and partners of DREF include the Australian, American and Belgian governments, the Austrian Red Cross, the Canadian Red Cross and government, Danish Red Cross and government, the European Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO), the Irish and the Italian governments, the Japanese Red Cross Society, the Luxembourg government, the Monaco Red Cross and government, the Netherlands Red Cross and government, the Norwegian Red Cross and government, the Spanish Government, the Swedish Red 2

Cross and government, the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), the Medtronic and Z Zurich Foundations, and other corporate and private donors. The IFRC, on behalf of the Malian Red Cross, would like to extend thanks to all for their generous contributions.

Details of all donors can be found on :http://www.ifrc.org/docs/appeals/Active/MAA00010_2012.pdf

The situation

Mali, with its 13 million inhabitants, covers 1,204,000 square kilometres with more than half of the country being desert and semi-desert areas. For several decades, the country only had sporadic rainfall which led to a chronic drought situation in several regions. In 2011, the country had low rainfall, which was poorly distributed and negatively affected the agro pastoral production. In late 2011, assessments and early warning systems drew attention to the likelihood of a food crisis hitting the country during 2012, primarily due to the poor harvest and drought situation. The reports indicated that up to 1.8 million persons in the regions of Kayes, Koulikoro, Gao, Kidal, Mopti and Segou would have difficulties to provide food for themselves.

In addition to the food emergency and persistent drought conditions, fighting broke out in January 2012 in the northern section of the country between armed groups and the Malian armed forces. The fighting led to the displacement of thousands of persons within Mali and to neighbouring countries of Mauritania, Niger and Burkina Faso. The crisis further deteriorated the food crisis situation in the country and negatively affected the response of the authorities to address the food insecurity.

An assessment conducted by the MRC and IFRC concluded that in February and March 2012, approximately 60 percent of households in affected areas would find themselves food insecure due to lack of grain stocks and early April, the crisis would be the highest if no assistance were provided.

The government, through the Office of the Food Security Commissioner, organized coordination meetings to gather the technical and financial partners for information exchange and policy formulation to address the food insecurity. As part of direct assistance, the government launched a free food distribution of 1,157 tonnes of food for six communes in the region of Kayes (; ; Gory; ; and ). The contributions from the Mali Red Cross, ICRC and PNS partners indicated below, were closely coordinated with the government and appreciated.

Red Cross and Red Crescent action The Mali Red Cross worked in close collaboration with the government to respond to the food crisis. In the emergency phase, CRM mobilized 100 volunteers from the local branches.

Within the Movement, IFRC and the Mali Red Cross organized bi-weekly meetings with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Participating National Societies (PNS) and the National Society executives. The coordination meeting aimed at coordinating and harmonizing Red Cross actions in order to have better impact in the targeted areas.

Mali Red Cross trained 72 volunteers and 13 staff to effectively carry out food relief distribution and food hygiene awareness raising in the targeted communities. A total of 1,640 households (10,640 persons) were reached with food relief for one month and food hygiene education.

The IFRC has provided technical support throughout the operation, helping in coordinating the response with the Movement partners, and took part in the initial assessments and planning of the project as well as monitoring. A Regional Disaster Response Team member was deployed to support the implementation.

ICRC provided support to the Mali Red Cross to implement its emergency response activities. Two PNS have worked directly with the food crisis with MRC; Spanish Red Cross has provided food and livestock assistance to 3,100 households in the region of Kayes, and the Swiss Red Cross has provided food assistance to 7,000 households in the region of Mopti.

Seven Participating National Societies (Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Monaco, Spain and Switzerland) support the MRC with bilateral programming. 3

Achievements against outcomes

Relief distributions (food and basic non-food items) Outcome: Reduce the vulnerability of 1,640 households affected by food difficulties and secure the household economy in the Circle of Kayes Outputs (expected results): Activities planned:  Appropriate food rations are distributed the  Mobilisation and briefing of volunteers 8,200 vulnerable people for one month in the  Targeting the beneficiary households according Circle of Kayes to the set criteria  Planning and distribution of food  Monitoring of field activities

Impacts: To achieve the expected results of the DREF operation, the capacity of MRC staff and volunteers was enhanced strengthened through trainings and on-site monitoring support. The capacity building activities involved training of 10 staff and volunteers in the development of plans of action focusing on IFRC standard templates. Furthermore, 32 volunteers were trained in volunteer supervision techniques and assessment, and distribution techniques in a food operation. A total of 50 volunteers, 2 team leaders and 2 members of the National Disaster Response Team (NDRT) were deployed by the CRM to support with implementation of activities.

The training of staff and volunteers enabled the effective distribution of planned food assistance and food hygiene promotion activities. A total of 1,640 households (10,640 persons) received food assistance and food hygiene promotion information in the region of Kayes. Each household received 60 kg of rice, 0.75 kg of salt, 3.75 litres of oil, 2.25 kg of sugar which amounts to a 30 day food ration.

A total of 25 members from the affected communities actively participated in the beneficiary identification and distribution of food assistance.

The operation reached more beneficiaries than due to the fact that during the planning of the DREF operation the estimated number of 5 members per family was used to estimate the target population but this was revised upwards to 6.5 persons per family, during the assessments and distributions, thus reaching 10,640 persons compared to 8,200 persons targeted.

The food assistance served as an emergency intervention to provide affected families with food relief to reduce their vulnerability and improve their situation. At the end of the DREF operation, 78 percent of vulnerable households in the Kayes region were provided with food relief.

Water, sanitation, and hygiene promotion Outcome: Sensitization on food hygiene targeting the families that will benefit from the food distribution Outputs (expected results): Activities planned:  Households in the targeted communes  Mobilisations and briefing of volunteers develop good nutrition habits.  Preparation of sensitization tools  Household sensitization on food hygiene  Sensitization of the targeted community on the external signs of malnutrition and the measures to be taken  Monitoring of field activities

Impacts: A total of 40 volunteers and 3 supervisors were trained in food hygiene education and sensitization, and pamphlets and posters were designed specifically for these sensitization activities.

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The trained volunteers and supervisors provided 1,640 households (10,640 persons) with education and information on proper food hygiene practices. This was completed through house to house visits by volunteers and beneficiary group sessions. The education and information sessions focused on, hand washing and washing of raw foods, conservation food and their preparations, proper use of latrines and hygiene in order not to contaminate food as well as processing and storage of drinking water.

A total of 15 female community leaders were involved in carrying out the promotion of food hygiene promotion activities, as a way to involve and empower the beneficiary communities to continue hygiene promotion activities on a regular basis.

Challenges:

The deteriorating security situation in the country during the response operation negatively affected the focus of the government to address the food insecurity prevailing in the country.

There were some delays in signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), and as a consequence delays in transferring funds to the National Society, which delayed the starting up of the operation.

Furthermore, there was limited capacity within the National Society for logistics and key technical staff, which posed challenges for the implementation. Additionally, the limited experience of the National Society in financial management and procedures in emergency operation delayed the completion of activities, reports and closure of this operation.

Lessons learned and recommendations from this operation include:

IFRC needs to be present in Mali to monitor the evolution of the food crisis and assist in developing partnerships with other actors, such as the World Food Programme.

The logistics and operations departments of the National Society need to be strengthened, including their emergency response systems and processes.

The finance department and its procedures for emergency operations need to be strengthened.

Contact information For further information specifically related to this operation, please contact:  Mali Red Cross Society: Abdoulaye Nènè Coulibaly, Secretary General; phone + 223 244 569; email: [email protected]  IFRC Regional Representation: Momodou Lamin Fye, Regional Representative for Sahel; Dakar; phone: +221 33 869 36 41; email: [email protected]  IFRC Africa Zone DMU: Daniel Bolaños, Disaster Management Coordinator for Africa; Nairobi; phone: +254 731 067 489; email: [email protected]  IFRC Geneva: Christine South, Operations Quality Assurance Senior Officer; phone: +41 22 730 45 29; email: [email protected]  IFRC Logistics: Rishi Ramrakha, Head of Zone Logistics Unit, Nairobi; phone: +254 731 067 489; email: [email protected] For Resource Mobilization and Pledges:  IFRC Africa Zone RM: Loïc de Bastier, Resource Mobilization Coordinator for Africa; Addis Ababa; phone: +251 93 003 4013; email: [email protected]

For Performance and Accountability (planning, monitoring, evaluation and reporting):  IFRC Africa Zone PMER: Robert Ondrusek, PMER/QA Delegate for Africa; Nairobi; phone: +254 731 067 277;email: [email protected] 5

How we work All IFRC assistance seeks to adhere to the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Disaster Relief and the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response (Sphere) in delivering assistance to the most vulnerable. The IFRC’s vision is to inspire, encourage, facilitate and promote at all times all forms of humanitarian activities by National Societies, with a view to preventing and alleviating human suffering, and thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world.

The IFRC’s work is guided by Strategy 2020 which puts forward three strategic aims: 1. Save lives, protect livelihoods, and strengthen recovery from disaster and crises. 2. Enable healthy and safe living. 3. Promote social inclusion and a culture of non-violence and peace.

Selected Parameters International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Reporting Timeframe 2012/1-2013/1 Budget Timeframe 2012/1-4 MDRML008 - Mali - Food Insecurity Appeal mdrml008 Budget APPROVED Appeal Launch Date: 09 jan 12 All figures are in Swiss Francs (CHF) Appeal Timeframe: 09 jan 12 to 09 apr 12 final Report I. Funding

Disaster Health and National Society Principles and Deferred Management Social Services Development Values Coordination TOTAL Income

A. Budget 174,092 174,092

B. Opening Balance 0 0

Income Other Income DREF Allocations 174,092 174,092 C4. Other Income 174,092 174,092

C. Total Income = SUM(C1..C4) 174,092 174,092

D. Total Funding = B +C 174,092 174,092

Coverage = D/A 100% 100%

II. Movement of Funds

Disaster Health and National Society Principles and Deferred Management Social Services Development Values Coordination TOTAL Income

B. Opening Balance 0 0 C. Income 174,092 174,092 E. Expenditure -172,608 -172,608 F. Closing Balance = (B + C + E) 1,484 1,484

Prepared on 18/Feb/2013 Page 1 of 2 Selected Parameters International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Reporting Timeframe 2012/1-2013/1 Budget Timeframe 2012/1-4 MDRML008 - Mali - Food Insecurity Appeal mdrml008 Budget APPROVED Appeal Launch Date: 09 jan 12 All figures are in Swiss Francs (CHF) Appeal Timeframe: 09 jan 12 to 09 apr 12 final Report

III. Expenditure

Expenditure Account Groups Budget Disaster Health and Social National Society Principles and Variance Management Services Development Values Coordination TOTAL

A B A - B

BUDGET (C) 174,092 174,092

Relief items, Construction, Supplies Food 95,408 95,775 95,775 -367 Medical & First Aid 3 3 -3 Utensils & Tools 559 559 -559 Total Relief items, Construction, Supplies 95,408 96,338 96,338 -930

Logistics, Transport & Storage Storage 6,467 6,467 Distribution & Monitoring 27,471 27,324 27,324 148 Transport & Vehicles Costs 3,916 5,312 5,312 -1,396 Total Logistics, Transport & Storage 37,854 32,635 32,635 5,219

Personnel International Staff 7,008 13,141 13,141 -6,133 National Society Staff 2,172 2,196 2,196 -24 Volunteers 7,052 6,718 6,718 334 Total Personnel 16,232 22,055 22,055 -5,823

Consultants & Professional Fees Consultants 993 993 -993 Total Consultants & Professional Fees 993 993 -993

Workshops & Training Workshops & Training 8,880 4,297 4,297 4,583 Total Workshops & Training 8,880 4,297 4,297 4,583

General Expenditure Travel 1,318 1,318 -1,318 Information & Public Relations 772 347 347 425 Office Costs 1,931 1,271 1,271 660 Communications 1,135 727 727 408 Financial Charges 290 2,092 2,092 -1,802 Other General Expenses 965 965 Total General Expenditure 5,093 5,755 5,755 -662

Indirect Costs Programme & Services Support Recover 10,625 10,535 10,535 91 Total Indirect Costs 10,625 10,535 10,535 91

TOTAL EXPENDITURE (D) 174,092 172,608 172,608 1,484

VARIANCE (C - D) 1,484 1,484

Prepared on 18/Feb/2013 Page 2 of 2